Seal Beach salon massacre suspect pleads not guilty

SANTA ANA - A 41-year-old Huntington Beach man pleaded not guilty Tuesday morning to eight counts of murder and one count of attempted murder in connection with the worst mass killing in Orange County history.

Scott Evans Dekraai, represented by Public Defender Scott Sanders, entered the plea in a packed court room as three dozen relatives of the shooting victims looked on.

Outside of court, Paul Wilson, the husband of victim Christy Wilson, urged the media and the public not to focus on Dekraai and his deplorable crimes, but to remember the "eight innocent lives this coward took from us."

"Christy, my wife, is the one who deserve all my energy not this coward," Wilson told a scrum of reporters. "She gives me courage and the power for change."

The arraignment came nearly two months after the accused allegedly stormed a Seal Beach beauty salon where his ex-wife Michelle Fournier, 48, worked and methodically gunned down nine people, killing eight.

The lone gunshot survivor, Hattie Stretz, was having her hair done by Webb, her daughter. Fannin's wife, Sandy Fannin, was also in the salon with several other people who survived the shooting physically unharmed by ducking for cover or hiding in closets and small rooms.

Police and prosecutors say it was a bitter custody battle between Dekraai and Fournier over their 8-year-old son, Dominic, that triggered the deadly shooting.

Fournier's adult daughter, Chelsea Huff, was among the many relatives of the slain victims in court Tuesday to see Dekraai enter his plea. She is now raising Dominic, with the help of her family, and said he's doing well despite the loss of his mother.

"He's such a great kid," the 24-year-old said. "It's hard for me to get too down with this little bundle of joy constantly bouncing around."

Her uncles and her father, Fournier's ex-husband Steve Huff, were also in court wearing T-shirts with a blue heart and Seal Beach printed on them.

As Dekraai walked into the courtroom he glanced over at the families of the victims. When he was led out of court moments later, handcuffed and shackled, several of the relatives, including Fournier's brothers, walked up to the caged area where the defendant was held to glare at Dekraai.

The defendant showed no emotion.

Choking back tears, the men said they cannot fathom what this Christmas will be like without their loved ones. Thanksgiving was hard enough for many of them. Fournier's brothers said it hurt not to have homemade ravioli at their sister's home, part of their Italian-American family's annual tradition.

But Wilson and Huff both said they have been bolstered by the outpouring of support from Seal Beach and surrounding communities, like Lakewood where the Wilson family lives.

All the relatives, which represented several of the families of the slain victims, vowed to follow every moment of the legal process, no matter how long it may take.

They will have to wait until well into 2012 before they will see Dekraai again. A preliminary hearing date was scheduled for April 24, though the defense attorney said he would likely need more time to prepare for the hearing.

Deputy District Attorney Scott Simmons told the court that the people would be ready on that date to hold the hearing, which is used to determine if there is sufficient evidence to try a defendant on the charge.

Sanders noted the complexity of the case -- Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas has vowed to seek the death penalty -- would likely require more time for his office to prepare. He also told the court he was still awaiting some discovery items from the prosecution.

"My hope is that discovery will not cause a hold-up in this case," Santa Ana Superior Court Judge Erick Larsh said.

"It won't your honor," the prosecutor assured.

Outside the court, Simmons said a great deal of information has already been given to the defense and that the only issue at this point is the best way to provide some of the data, which includes hundreds of pages of police interviews and audio and video files.

Simmons also said he expects the defense will, at some point, enter a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.

"We are ready for that," Simmons declared.

"Our position is he was absolutely not insane," the prosecutor added, noting the planning and the degree of preparation that went into the massacre.

Dekraai's first attorney, a privately retained lawyer, raised the issue of Dekraai's physical and mental health at his first court appearance, asking the court to order the Orange County Jail to provide his client with his anti-psychotic medication. The lawyer also asked that Dekraai's wife be allowed to deliver a battery to the jail that is used for a spinal cord stimulator. Dekraai has used the device every since he was severely injured in an accident aboard a tug boat in 2007 and lost part of one leg.

The public defender did not mention any of the accused's ailments Tuesday, but he did ask the court to bar the media from photographing the defendant and recording the proceedings, saying it would prevent Dekraai from receiving a fair trial.

Judge Larsh disagreed.

"The court believes the Orange County justice system can provide a fair trial," Larsh said.

He then ordered both sides to return to court on April 24 and ordered Dekraai continue to be held without bail.